Chinese-built electric crossover is essentially a stretched, seven-seat version of the ID 4.
This is the Volkswagen ID 6 SUV, which was until recently considered to be a China-only model within the German brand’s rapidly expanding ID sub-range.
However, that positioning in the global line-up might be about to change, because rumour has it this car – Volkswagen’s biggest battery-powered model to date – is heading for Europe as an import and could be under consideration for Australia.
The ID 6 is essentially an extended-wheelbase version of the ID 4, designed to seat as many as seven people. In every other dimension, the two cars are very similar, the ID 6 being less than 40mm taller and 30mm longer than the ID 4. In fact, in the flesh, the only easy way of visually dfifferentiating the two is via the badges on the bootlid and the ID 6’s larger rear window.
Two variants exist – the ID 6 X tested here and the stockier-looking ID 6 Crozz, with each being made by one of Volkswagen’s Chinise joint-venture partners (SAIC Volkswagen builds the X in Shanghai, while FAW-Volkswagen builds the Crozz in Foshan).
Under the skin, four powertrain configurations will be offered in China. Three will be RWD with either the 58kWh or 77kWh battery and 132kW or 150kW; and the range-topper will be a 225kW, 77kWh car with AWD.
It’s the flagship we’re testing here, and while no official figures yet exist for range, we would expect this car to manage slightly less than the ID 4 GTX’s 480km.
The pervading sense of familiarity with the ID 6 extends to the simplistic interior. It gets the same 5.3in instrument display as the ID 4, along with the 12-inch infotainment touchscreen. Control for the latter is largely via touch-sensitive icons, but there are also some capacitative buttons lined up beneath. Frankly, these could be more sensitive, as we’ve learned with ID models already, especially for selecting things such as the driving mode. The user interface also remains an issue in general.
Materials in this top of the line Prime-trim car are nevertheless of good quality, and there are plenty of soft-touch elements beyond the quilt-effect setats. However, the almost pink-hued plastic marking the upper and lower dashboard division in this car does feel somewhat cheap. Hard plastics elsewhere aren’t too to find.
Where the Touareg-sized ID 6 excels concerns space. The second row is truly sprawling and the third row will be quite usable by most adults, although taller passengers will struggle to get comfortable for longer journeys – mostly on account of the modest leg room but also because head room is impinged by the gently sloping roofline.
Even so, for an electric seven-seater, the ID 6 is impressive and mostly uncompromised compared with ICE alternatives.
As for boot space, even with the second-row seats up you get a respectable 202 litres, and this grows to more than 1800 litres with both rows of seats folded down. Also note that the car comes in both six and seven-seat configurations, with the second row accounting for the difference.
The top-billing Prime may benefit from having a motor on each axle, and with them roughly 225kW combined, but it’s still no performance car. However, the steering is nicely weighted and does give some feedback. It feels adequately natural overall – much like other cars in the ID range, unsurprisingly.
Even on 21-inch wheels, the ride is on the soft side, although any version of the ID 6 that comes to Australia will likely do so with a region-specific suspension tune. Our Chinese example might therefore be unrepresentative in dynamic terms, but there was nothing to suggest that anything will change dramatically.
These early impressions suggest the ID 6 is a solid, spacious package and exactly what you would expect from an enlarged ID 4 with additional seats. As an electric car for larger families, it would currently have few competitors – especially ones that can compete on price, given the Tesla Model X now costs more than $150,000.
Keyword: 2021 Volkswagen ID 6 X Review